Lubricating compositions are widely used in industrial and commercial applications. They are used whenever two or more solid surfaces move in close contact. Examples of the several uses include gasoline engines, diesel engines, and motors of all sorts. A critical feature of such lubricants is the ability to provide lubrication to an interface between rings and cylinder walls and also ring grooves in all the pistons. Ring lubrication is designed to initially provide a controlled wear between the ring's edge/face and the cylinder wall, creating a tight “seal” at the interface. This seal reduces contamination of the oil due to blow-by of hydrocarbon residue created during combustion, maintains maximum pressure in the combustion chamber during the power stroke, and reduces the potential for lubricating oil to be drawn into the combustion chamber during the intake stroke.
Lubrication is also needed between the top and bottom portions of the ring where it rides in the ring grooves of the piston. Thus, the ring is subject to loading in multiple directions during piston travel and lubrication is critical to the free movement of the ring, allowing the ring to maintain contact and seal with the cylinder wall.
The “seal” of an engine is normally determined by the percentage of leak-down that is experienced when the combustion chamber is filled with pressurized air and the rate of pressure drop is measured. This seal can be damaged if, during assembly of the engine, insufficient lubrication is present during an initial rotation of the crankshaft which causes piston movement within the cylinder. The cylinder wall and piston are normally lubricated with oil during engine assembly. However, such fluid runs off while the engine sits prior to its initial firing. The same condition occurs when an assembled engine has sat for an extended period of time. At start-up, the initial movement of the pistons within the cylinders which have minimal to no lubrication causes excessive wear and can even lead to the ring “grabbing” in the ring grooves due to the load experienced. Such conditions lead to poor ring seal and a resultant loss of power and degraded engine life.
The problem is that during the initial rotation of the crankshaft and piston movement, the only lubrication that reaches the critical area is from “splash” lubrication. This is because there is no pressurized delivery of oil to these areas. Consequently, multiple rotations occur before the rings and associated surfaces see any lubrication at all, let alone sufficient lubrication to provide what is needed for the “best” ring seal to occur.
There is a need to ensure that ring seal of an engine is optimum. That need has now been met by the method of this invention.